Kinetic Group announces joint venture with Norton to bring the Dominator and Commando to India

Norton Motorcycle Company and Kinetic Group have announced a joint venture at EICMA 2017. Kinetic will bring the Norton Dominator and Norton Commando to India as CBUs very soon, within three to four months.

Norton Commando 961 Cafe Racer. Image: Norton

More interesting is that with Kinetic will also begin assembling Norton motorcycles in India, bringing them in via the CKD route. The Norton motorcycles will be made in the country with technical assistance from Norton Motorcycle Company, UK.

Kinetic Group has also had an alliance with Italian exotic motorcycle maker MV Agusta in 2015. Another Indian brand Mahindra Two Wheelers had also been eyeing a partnership with Norton, but ultimately Kinetic won out. Kinetic will represent the exotic British motorcycle brand in Southeast Asia.

Norton and Kinetic jointly showcased the Norton Commando and Norton Dominator motorcycles at EICMA. Both the models come powered by a 961 cc air/oil-cooled parallel twin with fuel injection. The engine produces 80 PS / 90 Nm on both motorcycles.

The Norton Dominator employs a truly unique build with the use of modern exotic carbon fibre and other materials while maintaining an air of old-school charm with its classic cafe racer styling. It is priced at around $ 29,000 (Rs 18.85 lakh approx).

The Norton Dominator has a 961 cc engine. Image: Norton

The Commando meanwhile, uses the same engine as the Dominator but is a relatively more affordable package available in two styles — Cafe Racer, and Sport. The Commando's styling is inspired by its 1967 namesake. It is priced at around $20,000 (Rs 13 lakh approx).

Norton's latest model is the Norton V4 RR, a drool-worthy race-spec motorcycle developed at the Isle of TT circuit. It has full carbon fibre bodywork and comes powered by a mad V4 engine that produces 200-plus PS and 130 Nm. This may come to India at a later stage as well.